It might seem like an unusually mainstream part for an actor who has made his name mostly in art house fare, but at least he'll get to hide behind that famous mask. Ryan Gosling is in talks to star as the Lone Ranger opposite Johnny Depp's Tonto in a remake of the classic radio, movie and television serial.

Disney's film is being put together by an array of Pirates of the Caribbean alumni. As well as Depp, director Gore Verbinski will take charge of the cameras and Jerry Bruckheimer is acting as producer. Gosling, who was Oscar-nominated for Half Nelson in 2006, has not yet signed on and his schedule could still get in the way, reports The Wrap.

Never seen without his mask in the most famous iterations, the Lone Ranger began life as a radio serial in the 1930s before graduating to television between 1949 and 1957. A morally upright campaigner against injustice in the American Old West, he is often depicted as the survivor of an ambush on six Texas Rangers by an armed gang which leaves all but one dead. The surviving man is rescued and nursed by a Native American named Tonto, following which he sets out to avenge his comrades and henceforth pursue a life of masked heroism.

Hollywood has been planning a big screen outing for the character since at least 2002, but matters began to move forward apace after Disney bought the rights in 2007. The Mouse House is positing the project as a tentpole feature with its most bankable star, Depp, in the hotseat. While the original radio and TV serials were named after the Lone Ranger, Tonto came to be portrayed as an intelligent character who is almost an equal partner in the work the pair carry out together.

It is not yet known how Depp will choose to portray the character, however. Some Native Americans, notably the author and poet Sherman Alexie, dislike Tonto intensely. Others have seen his use of pidgin English as degrading.